American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone added to her legend by winning another Olympic gold medal and setting another world record in the process.
McLaughlin-Levrone ran away from a very talented field to win the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the Summer Olympics on Thursday in Paris, France. McLauglin also set a new world record with a time of 50.37 seconds in winning her second consecutive gold medal.
McLaughlin was able to lower the old world record of 50.65 seconds, which she set on June 30 at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. She has broken the world record six different times since winning the gold medal at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
In what was billed as a big showdown against rival Femke Bol of the Netherlands, McLaughlin-Levrone put away the talented Dutch star on the final turn with a blistering burst of acceleration. As a bonus, McLaughlin-Levrone’s USA teammate Anna Cockrell, sprinted by Bol to win the silver medal with a personal best time of 51.87.
The incredible performance by McLaughlin-Levrone was part of a dominant two-day stretch by the Americans on the track and in the field.
The USA also finished first and second in the men’s 110-meter high hurdles on Thursday as Grant Holloway won the gold medal and Daniel Roberts took home the silver medal. Holloway cemented his stature as the world’s most dominant hurdler by posting a time of 12.99 second in the finals. Roberts finished in 13.09.
St. Louis native Freddie Crittenden also made it to the finals and finished in sixth place. Crittenden, who was a former standout at McCluer North High before moving to Michigan, did an excellent job of fighting off an injury and battling his way through the repechage race to earn a spot in the finals.
In the field events, American Tara Davis-Woodhall won the gold medal in the women’s long jump. Davis Woodhall was joined on the podium by fellow American Jasmine Moore, who won the bronze medal.
In the men’s 200-meter dash, Americans Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles took home silver and bronze medals. The two Americans finished behind Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, who won the gold medal in a winning time of 19.46.
Wednesday night’s track competition was highlighted by Kansas City native Kansas City native Quincy Hall, who won the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter dash. A former standout at Raytown South, Hall was in fourth place coming off the final turn before staging an epic final sprint in the last 100 meters to post a dramatic victory. His winning time of 43.4 seconds was the fourth fastest in history.
In the women’s 200-meter dash, American Gabby Thomas took home the gold medal in a time of 21.8 seconds. It was the first individual gold medal for the former Harvard star who won bronze in the event at the 2021 Olympics. Fellow American Brittany Brown finished in third place to win the bronze medal.